DISA: DoD’s Employer of Choice
RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND DEVELOPMENT
OF THE WORKFORCE IS CRITICAL TO
PROVIDING GLOBAL NETCENTRIC SOLUTIONS
DISA’s vision is to be the preferred provider of global net-centric solutions for the nation’s warfighters and all those who support them in the defense of the nation. With a military and civilian workforce of more than 6,500 located around the world, the recruitment, retention and development of that force is critical to DISA successfully continuing to meet that vision.
As a vital part of its succession plan, DISA has several entry-level hiring programs. The Career Development Intern Program offers full-time permanent employment and aims at hiring high-caliber recent college graduates. This is a three-year program that provides on-the-job training, leadership and core training, rotational assignments and an educational allowance. All interns are assigned a mentor and must complete a comprehensive individual development plan tailored to specific goals. Interns are hired at GS-5, 7 or 9, with promotion potential to GS-13 for engineers and computer scientists, and hired at GS-7 with promotion potential to GS-12 for all other positions.
DISA also has programs offering opportunities for high school and college students. The Student Career Experience Program (SCEP), also known as Co-Op, offers students the option of full or part-time employment that provides work experience directly related to the student’s educational program. Successful completion of the SCEP may offer students the opportunity for non-competitive conversion to a permanent intern position.
The Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) has two components—STEP Summer and STEP Year Round. The program provides flexible temporary employment to enable students to earn a salary while continuing their education, working full or part time, summer or year-round.
The DoD Information Assurance Scholarship Program (IASP) is another means of recruiting for interns and SCEPs. This program is designed to increase the number of qualified personnel entering the information assurance and information technology fields within the Department of Defense. Utilizing all the above programs, DISA hired more than 250 interns the past two years and expects to continue at a similar rate for the future.
DISA is very active in collaborating with schools and educational institutions, encouraging students to develop a passion for math and science. DISA provides role models, who by their contributions as mentors or school volunteers encourage the students to consider a career in public service, particularly in the engineering and information technology career fields. Through a partnership with the National Science Center in Augusta, Ga., DISA provided assistance in several technical areas, including Web technology and robotics. DISA also established adopt-a-school partnerships with three schools in the Washington, D.C., area.
RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
DISA’s recruitment strategy involves a “blended approach, providing promotional opportunities for the current workforce while also filling many mid- and senior-level positions from other federal agencies, former military personnel and the private sector. The goal is to select the best of the best.
With a corporate strategy to “recruit and retain the right mix of people,” DISA constantly seeks the highest-quality workforce. Because DISA is a joint organization, the respective services nominate military personnel based upon their experience and expertise. Once selected, military members get an initial three-year tour, with many receiving “joint duty” credit for the assignment. Military personnel assigned at DISA get the opportunity to participate in many of the developmental opportunities specifically designed for the DISA workforce.
In order to compete in the highly competitive civilian marketplace, DISA offers its managers flexibility to recruit a quality workforce. Managers have the option of hiring individuals above the minimum rate of Step 1 for new hires into federal service or rehires with a break in service of 90 days or more because of a candidate’s superior qualifications or agency special need.
Another flexibility is to offer a recruitment incentive of up to 25 percent of the annual rate of basic pay for new employees. DISA implemented the Student Loan Repayment Program in January 2003 as a recruitment tool for hard-to-fill positions in the DISA Career Development Intern Program. A maximum per calendar year of $10,000 may be paid, not to exceed a maximum overall amount of $60,000 for each participant.
Once on board, DISA employees can participate in several quality of worklife programs, including telework, compressed work schedules (CWS), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the Wellness Program. Employees may be eligible to telework at an alternative worksite, such as a GSA Telework Center or a home or satellite office, on a regular and recurring schedule for a maximum of two days per week. CWS consist of an approved work schedule composed of eight nine-hour workdays and one eight-hour workday. CWS allows for an additional nonworkday within each biweekly pay period.
The EAP brings together a variety of personal services. Its primary focus is to assist employees who want help dealing with a multitude of problems—emotional, relationship, family, alcohol, drug, financial or job concerns. All EAP services are free. The Wellness Program is an added benefit to all DISA employees that allows those eligible to participate in an exercise program during the workday without charge to leave for a maximum of one hour per day, three times per week. The DISA Wellness Program encourages and motivates employees to develop a healthy lifestyle and enhance the quality of worklife.
Workforce development is essential in attracting and retaining a knowledgeable and skilled workforce. The intent is to obtain the optimal balance of the right number of employees with the right skills at the right place in support of the warfighter using the Career Management Program (CMP). In FY04, DISA implemented the CMP as the major avenue to develop additional high performers.
DISA provides the opportunity for employees to apply for advanced development activities through its Competitive Development Program (CDP). The CDP gives employees an opportunity to compete for such programs as the Senior Services Schools, Federal Executive Institute and other executive development and leadership programs. The CDP provides employees an opportunity to receive an education stipend to pursue focused academic study and improve technical and business knowledge both in undergraduate and graduate study.
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT
The Executive Leadership and Development Program (ELDP) and the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) are critical components of the DISA succession planning methodology. The ELDP provides promising, ambitious and talented mid- to seniorgrade employees with a systematic and coherent framework in which to clarify their career goals, develop their managerial and leadership potential and continue to enhance their technical and functional expertise. The ELP provides a similar program for DISA’s promising junior- to midgrade employees.
DISA also offers an agencywide mentoring program that pairs employees with more experienced individuals for coaching, counseling and teaching. The program is part of the agency’s commitment to continuous personal and professional improvement of the civilian and military workforce.
Systems used by the DISA workforce for development include the DISA Talent Management System (DTMS). Employees complete a survey, identify gaps between current skill levels and desired skill levels and then complete an automated Individual Development Plan. DTMS captures the information and provides the basis for mapping an employee’s professional development needs to ensure that DISA’s workforce is fully enabled to deliver its mission. With “eLearning,” DISA is able to bring in excess of 2,000 computer-based training titles and over 8,000 digitized books and technical documents to its employees.
To ensure a quality work environment, DISA is currently working on initiatives to develop and operate a computer aided facility management system to manage space and facility assets across the agency.
Whether it is recruitment, development or quality of worklife, DISA is constantly looking for ways to improve supporting its workforce. Additionally, the DISA workforce is committed to guaranteeing America’s forces global information dominance by providing jointly interoperable systems, assured security, survivability, availability, and superior quality. DISA is truly an “employer of choice.” ♦
